Girl Nearly Abducted On Her Way Home From School

Orange County Deputies Say Man Grabbed 14-Year-Old

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Authorities in Orange County on Friday released a composite sketch of a man they said tried to kidnap a 14-year-old girl who was walking home from Freedom Middle School.

The attempted abduction occurred Thursday around 5 p.m. inside the Pepper Mill subdivision in Orange County.

Recommended Videos



According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the girl was grabbed from behind by a white man, who pulled her backward toward a white pickup truck.

The girl screamed and pulled away from the man before running away, said deputies, who didn't specify if the girl was injured.

The man left in an unknown direction, deputies said.

The assailant was described as 18 to 20 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build and brown eyes. He was wearing a white baseball hat with blue trim, a white Polo shirt, khaki pants and white Nike shoes.

The vehicle was described as a white two-door, lowered pickup.

School administrators sent out messages to parents warning them about the attempted kidnapping. They also told parents to talk to their children about the dangers of strangers and urged that children walk in a group.

"When I picked them up from school I was looking," Debra Dinnald said Friday. She's on the look out for the suspect.

Dinnald's 12-year-old daughter also attends Freedom Middle School and her bus drops her off right in front of Pepper Mill Park inside the Pepper Mill Subdivision off Orange Blossom Trail.

The same park where officials said the 14-year-old girl was passing through when she was grabbed Thursday.

Dinnald said she will now pick up her daughter from school until the suspect is caught.

"She usually walks by herself, but not anymore," Dinnald said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


Recommended Videos